U.S. Pat. No. 3,444,946 to Waterbury discloses an electric motor-driven automobile in which the batteries which drive the electric motor are charged by a combination of solar cells obtaining energy from sunlight and an alternator or generator driven by a turbine. A venturi tube, through which air is drawn during vehicle travel, impinges air under pressure upon the turbine to rotate the turbine, which causes the alternator or generator to spin and thereby produce electrical energy supplied to the batteries. As Waterbury stated in the '946 patent, "[i]n recent years there has been considerable experimentation with an electric car. Electric cars, per se, have been known for years. These include small battery-operated vehicles such as golf carts, which need to be plugged in to a power source over night, in order to charge the battery so that they can be employed. Attempts to apply this principle to larger cars requiring greater power sources have not been successful since it has not been found possible to apply a great enough power source in order to charge the battery necessary to supply the electric power for the running of the automobile without greatly inconveniencing the driver from a time standpoint. Thus, while the concept of employing electric power is known in the operation of automobiles, such electric power has not been successfully utilized in the operation of standard size automobiles because of the lack of a method, or means, to charge the batteries necessary to supply the electric power for the running of automobiles."
More than 25 years later, these words still ring true, even though Waterbury's patent has merit, and even though, in the intervening time period, there have been improvements in electric power generation for electric motor-driven vehicles using on-board recharging systems for the storage batteries. The present invention provides an improved battery-charging system using an on-board turbine, together with means for enhancing the power generated by the turbine to greatly increase the battery-charging capability of the vehicle. Improvements in battery technology and in materials used in the mechanical system components for driving the turbine and in the turbine itself can only further improve battery-charging capabilities based on the principles of the present invention.